After the High Falls area, Cedar Rock is probably the most popular destination in DuPont State Forest. It was due to this fact that I was saving a visit for the off-season, when things would hopefully be a bit quieter. The previous day I had made the trek up DuPont's other major peak, Stone Mountain, and had been thoroughly impressed with what I had found. With a second consecutive day of clear blue skies I thought I might try going two-for-two with DuPont.

Cedar Rock Mountain itself isn't all that high, even by DuPont standards, with a summit elevation of only 3,114' that only rises a few hundred feet above the surrounding valley. What makes this peak so unique is its large open slopes of granite dotted with patchy clumps of moss and lichen. These large 'slickrock' openings are what makes the mountain so immensely popular with bikers and I was a bit worried what kind of damage I might find upon visiting. What I found, to my immense relief, was a mountain in fairly pristine condition, despite the crowds that descend upon it, and a natural environment almost entirely unique from other peaks I've visited in the southern mountains. So, two peaks in DuPont in two days and on this second day, like the first, I was in awe of what I found...

The Big Rock Trail provides the quickest route to the summit of Cedar Rock, although it doesn't loose any time heading uphill, its only about 300 vertical feet to the top so its not a real challenging climb...

The mixture of bare rock, moss, grass, and trees up here was quite fascinating to me. I can't imagine that the open areas of this peak are a natural phenomena, I wonder what happened here to make it as it is...

A hardy pine stands sentinel along the edge of the western outcrop atop Cedar Mountain. Recent rains had really scoured the skies clean allowing for some incredibly clear views. The high ridge in the distance is the Great Balsam Range, topping out above 6,000'...

A short distance past the summit the trail breaks out into a large open area of rock and tall grasses. This sign points travelers in the right direction though the trail is still a bit hard to spot across the open ground...

If you're like me and can't resist the urge to explore the slopes a bit, just make sure you are careful not to walk on the moss...it doesn't take much of a disturbance to permanently damage this environment...